The Kingdom
by OrionSTARB0Y
Summary: What happens to New York and its favorite hero when invaded by symbiotes? An epilogue written for the game "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows," follow Spidey, Eddie Brock, and Toxin in the aftermath of the initial invasion. Story based on full evil campaign.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Ferral

"How long has it been since Wolverine was released into the city?" Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. the Black Widow, carefully focused all her attention to the one monitor that mattered at that moment. The Tinkerer huddled in his makeshift workbench furiously twisting knobs and toggling switches, sweat staining his shirt. Wilson Fisk stood imposingly in the corner of the command center, smoking another of his army of Cuban cigars.

"Two-hundred and eighty six minutes, ma'am," answered an S.H.I.E.L.D. operative checking the mission timer. The monitor Natasha stared at intently hummed a flat-line for over two hours now.

Mumbling in Russian, she turned on her heel to the workbench. "Tinkerer?"

"It's not me, madam. I've done all I can," shrugged the little old man. As Natasha turned back to focus on the monitor once more, a radio transmission buzzed over the speaker.

"Command, this is Recon Team Zeta, we found something."

"Report, Zeta," snapped Natasha.

"I think we found the Tinkerer's control collar. It looks like it's been shredded, but no sign of—Shit! Contact! I repeat, contact," yelled the soldier. "It's him! We need back-up, ASAP! I repeat, it's Wolver—aaaah!"

"Zeta?! Come in, Zeta," demanded the furious Black Widow. The radio buzzed with weakening fire until all was silent. Then a growl rumbled the speakers.

"You thought you could put a collar on me and expect me to obey?" growled the infected Wolverine. "You can't train what could never be controlled. I'm one with the wild, and now much more. Oh, and don't worry; I'll kill Parker, but be prepared to die 'cause you're next!" A sharp slink and a pop later, the radio died. Natasha cursed aloud in Russian.

"It seems the animal chewed through his collar. Even with the symbiote influencing his mind, I don't think we could ever have hoped to fully control him," sneered the Tinkerer.

"I told you we should have put that dog down, little girl. He was too feral to train," snickered the Kingpin.

Natasha leaned on top of her desk, head bowed in shame. "Patch me in with Colonel Fury," she moaned. A second later the comm. buzzed to life.

"This is Fury. What's your status, Black Widow?"

"Operation failed, Colonel. Wolverine broke free from his collar and is loose within the city," reported Natasha.

"That is really bad news. However, an opportunity has shown itself that may assist us in ending this invasion. You will be briefed when Alpha team and I arrive. Fury out."

***

Wolverine sniffed the air and gagged. "Grraah, this city stinks of symbiote. _I_ stink of symbiote. I can't find Parker in this cesspool of symbiote shi—!" Wolverine sniffed again, grumbling, satisfied. "Huh, nifty. Doesn't smell anymore. Uh, thanks, I guess," Wolverine said as he observed his symbiote. Wolverine focused on his sense of smell for a moment. "Hurm, funny. Smells a lot like—"

Wolverine howled in pain as two silver crescent boomerangs sliced into his back. A large symbiote landed in a crouched-attack position in front of Wolverine, tentacles trailing behind it as if they were a cape. Spikes jutted out from its arms and a dark crescent moon covered the symbiote's chest. The face which consisted only of large teeth opened and hissed, "I know what you're doing here, Wolverine, and I won't allow you to harm my king!"

"That's not like you, Moon Knight. I thought you only served that imaginary god of yours," growled Wolverine as his symbiote assisted in pulling out the boomerangs from his back.

"Khonshu did not offer a power stronger than that which Spider-Man has bestowed upon me. Naturally I abandoned my old god for a new one, and I will protect him with my life," Moon Knight hissed. He charged at Wolverine, but was immediately knocked back as Wolverine pounced on him, claws stabbing into Moon Knight's chest.

"You're way out of your league, bub! Why don't you step aside so your king and I could have a little chat," growled Wolverine. Moon Knight screeched in Wolverine's face, but suddenly ceased.

"Enough, Moon Knight. He's right; you are out of your league. Stand down," commanded the ever-seducing Black Cat in her royal attire that consisted of her symbiote without the cowl. She stood on top of a near-by office building, looking down upon the street at the two combatants. Moon Knight shoved Wolverine off and retreated up onto another rooftop, the symbiote healing the stab wounds in his chest.

"I'll tear through you too, Felicia. I want Parker," roared Wolverine.

"I guess you're still sore about me tearing you in half the other day," laughed Spider-Man, walking up next to his queen Black Cat, still wearing his old symbiote.

"I said I'd kill you. I'm here to keep that promise!"

"You don't want to fight me, Wolvie. _You_ are way out of your league," warned Spidey.

"Yeah, right!" Wolverine extracted his claws and projected a tentacle, catching Spidey by the ankle and flinging him towards Wolverine. Spidey recovered from the attack and slammed into Wolverine's face feet first. Wolverine fell back while Spidey flipped once in the air and landed on Wolverine's chest. Spidey crouched and moved his face close to Wolverine's.

"You forget, Wolvie. I've had my symbiote a lot longer than you. I know things, I've mastered my skills. And I can do this…!" Spidey slammed his clawed hands into Wolverine's chest, absorbing his symbiote. Exposed, Wolverine looked angrily into Spidey's eyes.

"Son of a—!"

***

A group of S.H.I.E.L.D. soldiers guarded the energy barrier blocking New York City from Stark Tower. One turned to the other and said, "You know what? Life sucks."

"Na, just this whole symbiote invasion crap," another joked.

"Yo, contact at eleven o'clock! Five crawlers!" motioned another soldier. Fifty yards on the city side of the barrier five blue and white symbiotes dragged chunks of a carcass to the front of the barrier, dropped them, and fled back into the city. "Huh, wonder what that was all about?"

One of the soldiers ran over to the remains, stumbled back, removed his helmet and gagged. "Uh, guys? You better check this out!" The remaining guards ran over to see the bloody mess of what used to be Wolverine.

The leader radioed in, "Command, this is Epsilon Team, we found our missing hero."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Old Ally

The S.H.I.E.L.D. drop ship, accompanied by Iron Man, Thor, and a new and improved Quinjet, landed on a highway facing Manhattan in New Jersey. The drop ship door opened, revealing Nick Fury, Hank Pym, and an odd little man. Natasha and her welcome team saluted their director. "At ease, soldiers. What's our current situation here, Black Widow?" asked Colonel Fury.

"We recovered Wolverine's remains an hour ago. It will take several days before he can be put back together and fully healed," answered Natasha. "We have been unable to track down any survivors of the invasion, including Mary Jane Watson and Luke Cage. We have reason to believe they are trapped inside the city without a safe way to contact us. Here's the report of confirmed supers who have been turned. After careful observation it seems only seventy percent of those supers follow Parker and Hardy. The rest seem to be creating their own factions or teams and are fighting amongst themselves."

"Symbiotes are naturally violent; it is no surprise they would fight among themselves. That will be the downfall of Parker's little 'kingdom.' What about the barrier system and the helicarrier?"

"The barrier system around Manhattan Island is holding, but the symbiotes are testing their boundaries. It won't be too long before they find a weak spot and escape. As for the helicarrier, we have set up a perimeter around the crash site, but all of our attention and resources have been drawn towards containment. We have not scouted the ship yet," explained Natasha nervously. She knew that it is always a priority to recover any and all salvageable equipment from any disabled ship, as well as search for any survivors. This was a breach in protocol she knew she would regret.

"Did it ever occur to you that the Venom monster symbiote may have survived the crash and had escaped from New York to spread the invasion elsewhere? That was not a good move on your part, Black Widow," scorned Fury. "Lucky for you, Eddie Brock had washed up on shore in Cape Cod. I have no idea how he survived or how he was able to get so far away from Manhattan, but we were able to get to him first and interrogate him. He explained that the explosion destroyed the giant monster and launched him out into the ocean where he lost consciousness. He believes his Venom symbiote saved him from drowning and brought him all the way to Cape Cod."

"Will he be charged for his crimes?" asked Natasha.

"Even though he claims the symbiote was in control the entire time, Brock is still responsible for his symbiote's crimes. However I offered him amnesty from his crimes during the invasion in return that he fully cooperate in helping S.H.I.E.L.D. take down Parker and destroy the symbiotes," explained Fury. "Brock accepted the offer and even offered to surrender his own symbiote. He says that Venom crossed the line and was harming the innocent instead of protecting them as Eddie had vowed."

"Where is Brock now?" asked Natasha. Suddenly the sound of another drop ship roared as it speedily came into view and landed next to the first. Iron Man and a team of escorts surrounded the door, weapons ready.

"Ready when you are," Iron Man said over the comm. channel. The door slowly lowered and there stood Eddie Brock Jr. in a straight jacket with a high tech collar around his neck. It had been a few days since he shaved. The guards slowly escorted Brock off the drop ship and into a temporary research facility built on the highway.

"Welcome back, Brock," Fury joked as he passed by the group. Eddie's head hung low in shame and drowsiness due to the sedatives he was given to keep the symbiote at bay.

"What is your plan, Colonel?" Natasha tried her best not to question her superior's choice of action for letting Brock near Manhattan again.

"Black Widow, this is Mr. Li. Up until recently he was not aware of his powers, and we are still unable to identify _what_ he can do, but he seems to know something." The little man came forward and extended his hand to Black Widow, smiling. Natasha ignored this gesture.

"What do you 'know,' Mr. Li?" she questioned him.

"Well, I don't know much but I believe I have healing powers. I first realized this when I used them on a young girl who had injured herself with her own powers, but I not only healed her; her powers disappeared," explained Mr. Li. "I have not tested my powers since then, but I believe I can cure people with symbiotes attached."

"And you expect to use Li's power to heal everyone in the city one person at a time?" pointed Natasha impatiently at the city.

"I _expect_ to find out how to harness Mr. Li's power into a device that could simultaneously wipe out the symbiote invaders, Black Widow. In order for us to harness the power, we need a test subject, and that is where Brock comes in," Fury said. "And what better test subject than the source of the problem?"

"I'm almost out," yelled Mary Jane over the gunfire. She, Luke Cage, and small group of civilians had been cornered in the same Quick Mart by the endless hordes of symbiotes for several hours now. They were able to ransack a local police station earlier, but the ammunition and weapons they found are almost completely wasted. Cage was being careful not to get up close and personal after Wolverine got his symbiote the way he did; he couldn't risk being taken over.

"We won't last much longer, we gotta find a S.H.I.E.L.D. outpost fast," Cage yelled back. The symbiotes started backing off after his response. "What the hell?"

All was quiet and still. The symbiotes still surrounded the building, but none advanced. A group slightly to the right parted as a female figure approached the survivors. "My, my, well isn't this a surprise? The famous Mary Jane Watson, ex-lover of Spider-Man, trapped in my little corner of the kingdom," laughed Black Cat. "So sorry for Parker—being dead and all. Only Spider-Man, _my_ lover, is left, and you can't have him."

"Felicia, I swear if you harm Peter—"

"Harm him? I love Spidey, why would I ever do that? I just need to make sure that he remembers who he is now—what he is—and the only way to eliminate Parker for good is to make sure there is no reminder of his previous life. You know what that means," Black Cat smirked. "Kill her, take the rest."

The symbiotes all at once charged the store, screeching and howling. A large chain-like web flashed in front of the store, catching the symbiotes in mid-air. A tall red-and-blue symbiote landed between the web and the store, poised for attack. "It's Cage, isn't it? How about you come out here and help a fellow crime-fighter?" asked the mysterious symbiote.

Stunned by the development, Cage stumbled out of the store wielding a crowbar. "Who are you?" he asked.

"Patrick Mulligan, ex-cop. But you can call us Toxin. Don't worry; we're the good guys…my symbiote and I, that is."

"How do I know you're not fooling with us?" asked Cage.

"I've had my symbiote long before this happened, and I'm teaching Toxin to be good. At least, I'm trying my best," said Toxin.

"Good enough for me," smirked Cage as he swiped through the webbed-up symbiotes, launching them across the street. Toxin launched himself towards the remaining attackers, slashing through them with his claws until he stood in front of Black Cat.

"Toxin! Another pleasant surprise. How long has it been? I think the last time we saw each other, Spidey and I were saving your little baby-butt from your daddy," Black Cat reminisced.

"And I am grateful for your help with Carnage, but you know how dangerous the symbiotes are. You can't allow them to take innocent lives!"

"We're not just taking innocent lives; we're building a better, stronger world. Think of the potential!"

"No, the symbiotes are too dangerous. I know by personal experience, and you'll learn when it's too late if you and Spider-Man don't stop this now!"

"I don't care anymore! All I wanted was to spend my life with Spidey as both lovers and rulers of the world, and now we can! I won't allow you or Watson to come between us," yelled Black Cat. Her symbiote formed her combat suit along with the fearsome cowl Mary Jane was all too familiar with.

Black Cat pounced forward at Mary Jane, screeching and clawing the air. She was suddenly snatched from the air by Toxin's webbing, but recovered with a sharp slice to cut the web-chain in half. Toxin screeched a challenge at Black Cat, uncovering his gruesome mouth. Black Cat screeched in return, pouncing at Toxin and sending him tumbling head over heels. Black Cat clawed at Toxin's chest, and with a screech Toxin kicked Black Cat off of himself.

"I love a man with a little fight in him," breathed Black Cat.

"I love cats," hissed Toxin in an odd tone.

"Oh, did I impress the little symbiote?"

"Sorry, won't let him slip like that again. Where were we?" asked Pat. Black Cat giggled as she swiped her claws at Toxin's face. Toxin back-stepped up against a wall, ducked as one of Black Cat's claws went through the bricks, and kicked her in the abdomen, sending her flying through the air and tumbling across the ground. "Is that all you got? I can keep going all day," laughed Toxin.

Black Cat stood up, hunching forward and grasping her stomach. "Fall back, my children! We will finish this later," she hissed. Black Cat and the symbiotes scrambled away from the battleground, disappearing into the shadows of the surrounding buildings.

"That was weird," exclaimed Cage. The rest of the survivors exited the Quick Mart, carefully scanning the surrounding area for any other symbiotes.

"I remember you, Toxin. Peter said some good things about you. He also said that if there ever was a good symbiote in this universe, it was Toxin," Mary Jane commented.

"Toxin is flattered," said Pat. "And no, I won't tell her that," he mumbled.

"Just a bit creepy," Cage said. "We gotta get these people to a S.H.I.E.L.D. outpost. Can you help us?"

"There's one at Stark Tower, but we won't get very far on foot," explained Toxin.

"I saw a pick-up truck at a gas station a block away. I think I can get it working," said Mary Jane. Both Toxin and Cage looked at her.

"Exactly what I was gunna say. _You_ can fix a car?" asked Toxin.

"I know enough to get it started," smiled Mary Jane.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Rebirth

Eddie Brock sat in his solid concrete cell inside a police station across from the street his escort drop ship landed on in Jersey. Guards wielding sonic rifles and flamethrowers stood outside the cell ready for any sudden developments within the windowless prison. Eddie had been disturbed by the eerie silence that lasted since he was put in the cell. That's why he jumped when the voice began to speak to him.

"How disgusting. After all I did for you, after all we've become you allow yourself to be put in here?" Eddie tried his best to ignore the voice. He did _not_ want to give the guards a reason to be trigger-happy. "It's useless to try to ignore me. You of all people should know that. Although, expect a little respite from me."

Eddie did not want to disturb the guards, so he carried out the conversation in his head. "No, you will not have an indefinite respite from me. I am going to ensure that we stay bonded forever, even if that means leaving you for a little while," said the voice. A sudden chill went down Eddie's spine and tried to call to the guards, but no sound came out.

"Ah ah ah, no telling of our little secret. Once they have used you, I will return. Hopefully by then there won't be the disgusting taste of that growth within your brain when I come back." Eddie tried to ask the question verbally, but now he felt the symbiote gripping his vocal cords. "How long has it been since you've seen a doctor? Oh, I forgot, I am your doctor. And sorry for delivering the bad news so late in the game, but you have cancer—at least, for now."

Eddie tried with all his will to scream, at least curse the symbiote that just ruined his life, but no sound came. He then felt part of himself detach from his body and stealthily sliver towards the crack of the door.

"Don't worry, I'll be back. Then we can start a new life together, 'significant other,'" the symbiote hissed telepathically as it slid under the door. Eddie's mind was in utter confusion and anger. The symbiote had betrayed him again. All Eddie wanted was to help rid New York of the invaders Venom had spawned, and the symbiote was going to ensure that its partner not stand in its way. Was Eddie just a pawn to the will of Venom?

The cell door slid open and the guards pointed their weapons at Eddie. "Come on, it's time," ordered one of them. Eddie tried his best to speak, but again no sound came out. The guards escorted him into an emergency room in the local hospital, where Eddie was strapped down to a table. Various instruments surrounded the room and table, and sensors were placed on Eddie's chest and forehead. Eddie struggled, attempting to scream to Nick Fury through the glass of the observation room.

"Eddie, we had a deal," said Fury through a microphone. "Mr. Li has the ability to change people, and we hope this will help save New York City from the invasion. We are unsure how his power works; therefore we need to monitor Li's power and any change that occurs. Please do not struggle."

The little man approached Eddie, trying his best to calm the flustered man. "I've been told that this may feel a bit warm. Please don't be alarmed." Mr. Li placed both hands on Eddie's chest, holding him down as Li concentrated. Eddie then felt an overwhelming sense of peace and warmth in his body. After a few seconds Mr. Li removed his hands and stepped back, breathing heavily.

"Brock, how do you feel?" Fury asked. Eddie slowly looked to Fury, a smile forming across his lips.

"I…I feel warm…my head—it's so light, like a weight had been lifted. Wait…I can speak! Venom—it doesn't have a hold on…Fury! It's a trap! Venom—he's not—!" Eddie was unable to finish his sentence before one of the guards in the room was thrown from his position by another guard. Fury grabbed the microphone, beaming at the guard.

"Stand down, soldier! What are you—!"

"Lieutenant Bradley has been dead for a while, Fury. You should really have tightened security; you let a symbiote like me slither freely around the base," hissed Venom. The remaining guards opened fire on the symbiote, but their bullets passed right through it. Venom sliced through one guard with a tentacle and suffocated another by wrapping itself around the guard's face.

"You took long enough. It's time to become whole again, Eddie," smiled Venom as it lunged at the trapped Eddie Brock, wrapping itself around him.

"No!" screamed Eddie. The symbiote screeched in pain and began to boil. Venom snapped back into the body of the dead guard, hissing. Eddie broke free of his restraints and his skin excreted a white and black substance that covered his entire body. The substance hardened, mimicking the Venom symbiote but in opposite colors. The white and black being turned to the furious Venom.

"What is this stuff? This can't be a symbiote—it doesn't feel like one!" said Eddie. His gazed suddenly snapped to Venom. "You! You and your kind are a plague, a virus, an infection!"

As Eddie pointed accusingly at Venom, his clawed finger extended and pierced the symbiote, burning it as Venom screeched in anger and pain.

"You and your kind destroy the lives of so many! You offered me power and friendship, and then you used me! I will not let that happen again!" said Eddie. Venom writhed and hissed as Eddie scalded it. The symbiote extended a tentacle and hurled a large piece of machinery at Eddie. Eddie dodged the flying projectile and turned to catch the wounded symbiote, but it had vanished, leaving behind the tattered carcass of the soldier. Fury and a company of S.H.I.E.L.D. soldiers busted through the emergency room door and surrounded Eddie.

"Eddie, what the hell just happened here? Where's Venom, and what is that on you?" angrily asked Fury.

"Venom had planned to detach from me until the procedure was over. It knew something bad would happen, so it kept me quiet before I could tell you about the trap. The symbiote that it left in me must have been changed during the procedure. Whatever it is now, it's become a kind of—I don't know—Anti-Venom. Venom can't touch me without being burned," explained Eddie.

"What about Venom?" asked Fury.

"It got away when I wasn't looking," Eddie said. The altered symbiote retracted, and Eddie looked to Fury. "I want to have a test done. I think—I think I may have cancer."

"Not any more, young man," said Mr. Li as he emerged from his hiding spot. "During the procedure I felt the cancerous growth within your brain and I removed it, along with other ailments. You are now completely healthy."

"Thank you, Mr. Li. But I still want to be sure, Fury," said Eddie.

"We will have an oncologist examine you. If you don't mind, I'd also like to have your 'Anti-Venom' symbiote examined. I have a hunch that it will be the answer to our invasion problem."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The Calm

Black Cat tried her best to silently sneak back into the new throne room, but her presence did not go unnoticed. "You know, it's hard to get past me without my Spider-Sense going crazy," said Spider-Man as he emerged from behind his grand seat of power. "You've been gone for an hour without telling me. Lovers don't go and sneak off on their partners out of the blue, especially lovers in such an important leadership position."

"There were just a couple of cornered mice that this kitty wanted to play with," purred Black Cat. "Nothing that would concern you, my love." Felicia winced as she slowly sat in her chair, clenching her abdomen.

"Those mice must have been big," said Spidey. He sniffed the air once, "I smell another symbiote…not one of ours, either. What were you up to, Cat?"

"Recall our old friend Toxin?"

"Rings a bell. What about him?"

"He got in the way of those mice I wanted," said Cat. "He's still trying to be the good little symbiote. I wonder when he'll get the message that he is above those normal humans."

"I sense your holding back on something, Cat," Spidey sternly stated. "I don't need a super power to tell that you were specifically drawn to this group of 'mice.'"

Felicia quickly grinned and giggled, "I just felt like doing a bit of hunting, that's all dear. What's so wrong with having a little fun?"

Spidey studied her for a few moments, approached her and bent down to kiss her, his mask retracting accordingly. "Just don't run off like that ever again, okay? It's hard enough ruling a kingdom with just the two of us."

"Speaking of issues, what's the progress on our establishment?" Cat asked.

"I was finally able to win Rhino into our kingdom. The knucklehead's got a soft, twistable brain, so it was easy. Daredevil and Spider-Woman's clans are still our largest issues, but with all the minor tribes quickly joining our cause New York will soon be ours."

"Mmm, perfect. I told you this city could be ours," cooed Felicia.

"It won't just be the city, Cat," said Spidey. His voice suddenly, but almost unnoticeably changed, "I want to rule the world."

***

"Sir, the test results are back," reported a S.H.I.E.L.D. scientist. "We've confirmed that the subject's symbiote has been altered on a genetic scale. The 'Anti-Venom' is capable of ridding a host of its invading symbiote completely by destroying it without causing harm to the host. However, when we recreated the experiment with another test subject, the result was not the same; the symbiote was completely destroyed, but the host was left in a permanent comatose state. This was not the same result for another test subject, but it still concluded with adverse side-effects on the host's part. We've concluded that whenever Mr. Li's powers are used on a cloned spawn of the original Venom symbiote, the result will be unpredictable, and possibly fatal."

Colonel Fury sighed. "Another dead end. We can't mass-produce Li's power—it would mean risking the lives of all the civilians. What about Brock? What about his cancer?"

"We've found no trace of cancer, sir. In fact, we haven't found any trace of a threat, immediate or not, to Brock's system. Not even a strain of the common cold. It seems as if his altered symbiote is producing super anti-bodies that protect Brock from…well, everything."

"So Li's power reset Brock's system and the symbiote is acting like a cure-all suit—and we can't reproduce the entire process that made the Anti-Venom," Fury turned to an operative manning a communications station. "Contact Black Widow. Tell her to retrieve the Tinkerer from the brig and report with him to me."

The operative acknowledged the order and went on with the task. "I guess it's back to plan A again," said Fury, but he was interrupted before he could finish his thought by another operative.

"Sir, we have reports of commotion near the Stark Tower complex."

***

"Hold on to something," yelled Cage. He accelerated and plowed through a swarm of crawlers, the pick-up truck bouncing and rumbling over the bodies. A mother in the back of the truck flew out from behind, screaming. She was caught mid-air by Toxin swinging behind.

"Got ya', honey!" smiled Toxin. The woman stared at his smile half scared and half unsure. Toxin planted her back on the pick-up and landed on the roof of the cab, poised ready for action. "The tower is just up ahead," he pointed out to Cage. A Smiley symbiote suddenly jumped from a building, aiming its jaws at Toxin. It was stopped short by a shotgun blast from Mary Jane in the passenger seat.

"Got your back," she said. Toxin smiled and gave a thumbs-up to Mary Jane.

"Here we go," yelled Cage. The truck sped through the energy barrier surrounding Stark Tower. Toxin, however, did not go through. He screeched in pain as he was thrown back, shocked from the barrier.

As the truck screeched to a halt, Mary Jane bolted from the truck towards Toxin. "Pat! Cage, we've got to help him," she yelled.

"We can't, that barrier is supposed to keep symbiotes _out_, and that means Toxin, too." Mary Jane passed through the barrier and blasted at the surrounding symbiotes, clearing a path to the stunned Toxin.

"Stay away from him, monsters," she shouted as she fired the shotgun. After another blast, the gun clicked, depleted of ammunition. "Toxin! Come on, wake up! You need to get up," Mary Jane shouted as she shook the fallen hero. The symbiotes surrounded the two and advanced, hissing and screeching. A crawler jumped at Mary Jane, and she braced herself, screaming.

A blast of gold energy knocked the symbiote fifty feet away. The sky darkened, thunder boomed and lightning struck the horde of symbiotes. Iron Man and Thor descended upon the helpless pair, and Black Widow emerged from behind the barrier, firing her SMG's at the symbiotes.

"Fall back, we'll cover you," said Iron Man to Mary Jane.

"Not without Toxin! I won't leave him like this," she yelled back.

"He is one of them. He is the enemy," Thor boomed.

"No, he's different! He had his symbiote before the invasion! He's a hero like you!"

"We don't have time—!" yelled Black Widow, but Mary Jane interrupted her.

"I'm telling you, he's our friend! We can't leave without him!"

Black Widow cursed in Russian. "Fine, but just this once." She radioed an operative, "Lower the northwest barrier. All guard units, be ready for battle!"

A few seconds later, the energy barrier whined and disappeared. Suddenly, hordes of symbiotes rushed the unsuspecting guards. Mary Jane and Black Widow dragged Toxin to the tower. As they passed between the barrier generators, Black Widow yelled in the comm., "Raise the shield!"

The generators hummed to life, but the overwhelming horde of symbiotes overtook the guards and destroyed the generators, which in turn widened the breach in the perimeter due to the domino effect of generators going offline. Alarms blared, and evacuation orders were being issued.

"The shields are offline, the base is taken! Fallback to the emergency transports," shouted Black Widow. She and Mary Jane head towards a near-by drop ship while Iron Man and Thor cover their backs.

"I need back-up over here," yelled Cage from twenty yards away. He brawled with Smileys and other symbiote brutes, attempting to keep them away from the small group of civilians at the pick-up truck. Before any of the heroes could assist the group, a large horde of symbiotes plowed through Cage and the civilians.

"Cage! No!" screamed Mary Jane.

"We must get to the drop ship! They're lost; we can't help them now," said Black Widow. Mary Jane looked back at where Cage used to be and turned to make her way to the ship. Both she and Black Widow hauled Toxin into the drop ship, which immediately took off right before a horde of crawlers could reach it. The drop ship sped away from city with Thor and Iron Man as escort. Mary Jane looked back at the city. Manhattan was lost.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The Siren's Call

Moon Knight jumped up into the throne room and bowed before his seated king and queen, "My lord, the base at Stark Tower was captured, but not by our forces."

Spider-Man turned his attention away from Moon Knight and flirted with Black Cat. "So? We will rule Manhattan eventually, and Stark Tower will be ours." Moon Knight hissed for attention.

"The symbiote clan in control of the tower seems interested in the technology. They have a hostage, a scientist, and he seems to be aiding them in constructing what seems to be a rocket."

Spider-Man immediately stood up, his attention again sternly focused on Moon Knight. "Who's clan is that?"

"I do not know, sire. All I can tell is that it is a woman."

"Prepare a visiting party. You and I are going to have a chat with this woman," said Spidey. Moon Knight hissed in approval, bowed, and turned to carry out his orders.

The several surviving drop ships landed on the runway of the New Jersey base across the Hudson. Colonel Fury stood in waiting for the rescue party. Black Widow ordered paramedics to tend to the unconscious Toxin and went forward with Mary Jane following to report to Fury.

"Colonel Fury, the Stark Tower complex has been compromised. Manhattan is lost. We were able to rescue only a handful of civilians, including Mary Jane and a questionable ally, Toxin. Luke Cage was lost, sir," Natasha bowed her head in shame.

"The symbiotes probably have access to all my technology within the tower," chimed Iron Man. "Let's hope they don't find anything useful."

"Well, good work with getting the civilians to safety, Black Widow. Iron Man, why don't you see if Richards and the Tinkerer need any help," Fury suggested.

"Colonel Fury, you don't need to worry about Toxin, he's on our side," said Mary Jane. "And please understand this isn't at all Peter Parker we're dealing with. The symbiote is influencing him to do this; I know Peter is a good man."

"Don't worry, ma'am. We know the symbiotes are in control. Brock has confirmed that with us," Fury said.

"Wait, Eddie Brock? He's the one that started all this! Why are you listening to him?"

"Brock confessed that Venom was in control the entire time, and was using Brock against his will. Venom is no longer bonded with Brock, and Brock is a changed man; he wants to help stop the invasion. He's actually one of our greatest weapons against the symbiotes," explained Fury.

"How so?" asked Mary Jane.

"It's a long story, but Brock's symbiote was altered. It's no longer controlling him—we believe it no longer has a mind of its own. The faux symbiote also has the power to kill other symbiotes and cure hosts of the so-called 'disease.'"

"I apologize, but I still don't trust Brock," said Mary Jane.

"Understandable, given your history with him. But because Brock and his Anti-Venom suit can only kill one symbiote at a time, we've got a back-up plan. The Tinkerer and Hank Pym are developing a more advanced, portable version of the sonic wave bomb that Spider-Man destroyed," explained Fury. "Our plan: use the en route helicarrier as a distraction to all the symbiotes as a team of my men and Anti-Venom deploy the bomb in the heart of New York City. The bomb will wipe out all symbiotes and leave the citizens unharmed."

"Do you really think this will work?" asked Mary Jane.

"It has to. It's either that or the last resort: we let Manhattan go."

"What do you mean, 'let Manhattan go?'"

"I mean a nuclear warhead."

Spider-Man, Moon Knight, and a team of Smileys swung up to the front street of the Stark Tower, where they were met by a welcoming party of two dozen crawlers. On the courtyard of the tower symbiotes worked at foraging parts and assembling a makeshift, crude rocket. A frightened little scientist shook as he gave orders to the symbiotes.

"Whose clan is this? This island belongs to my kingdom, along with this tower and its technology. I demand an explanation," commanded Spidey. A white-and-black female symbiote with her cowl removed walked up from a mass of debris, a familiar face Spidey hadn't seen in a long time.

"Spider-Man! Long time no see, hun. I can't remember the last time I saw you in black…very sexy," flirted the psychotic Shriek.

"Shriek, what a big surprise. I haven't seen you since your escape from Ravencroft. You were always such a tough nut to lock up," Spidey joked.

"I got out and stayed out after that, no thanks to you."

"So whatcha doin' with all those toys? Those _are_ mine, you know, along with all of Manhattan," said Spidey.

"Not for long, baby. My poor ol' hubby will be the king soon," laughed Shriek.

"Boy are you nuts-o, everyone knows Carnage is dead. Sentry took care of that a while back."

"You lie! My sweet Carnage is waiting for me, I can feel him. And I'm going to fly him home, just you wait and see!" Shriek's cowl covered her face, as she screeched at her minions. All of the symbiotes rushed Spidey's group as Shriek flew to the rocket. "Light it," she screeched at a near-by symbiote. The crawler took a red-hot iron rod and shoved it against a trail of rocket fuel. The fuel trail immediately ignited, flared up into the exhaust of the rocket, and ignited the rocket. In a deafening roar, the rocket lifted into the heavens as Shriek held on for dear life and operated the crude controls. The surrounding symbiotes screeched in pain as the rocket roared and retreated into the city. Spidey and his party retreated as well, knowing that pursuing Shriek was a death sentence.

Fury and Mary Jane entered the emergency ward of the near-by hospital where Toxin was finally waking up.

"Rise and shine, Pat," said Fury.

"Ugh, my head. What happened?" asked Toxin.

"You didn't make it past the barrier around Stark Tower. Sonics will do that to symbiotes. Don't worry, you're at a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility, safe and sound," explained Fury.

"Please don't lock us up, we're—"

"I know, I know. I've read your file. You're one of the only few good symbiotes. Not to worry, we won't arrest you."

"Thank you. So, what's going on?"

"Colonel Fury has a plan to stop the invasion," said Mary Jane.

"Anti-Venom and a team of my men will deploy a sonic bomb while we distract the symbiotes with our helicarrier. Hopefully it'll take out all the symbiotes on Manhattan," explained Fury.

"Wait, Anti-Venom?" pondered Toxin.

"Brock turned a new leaf. He's a good-guy now, and with a changed symbiote. He can kill symbiotes, too," said Fury.

"That's hard to believe," commented Toxin.

"That's what I said," added Mary Jane.

"Well, believe it. Our team is not complete, though. We were hoping you could help deploy the bomb as well. This is a good chance to free yourself from your bond."

Toxin's symbiote hissed at Fury. "Actually Fury, contrary to your beliefs, I don't want to separate from Toxin. He's young, impressionable, and less violent than a normal symbiote. I believe I can train him to do well, and he wants to learn to be good. Also, we've almost completely bonded, and I've learned to live with him. I do want to help if I can, though."

"That will be difficult. I'll see if Richards can make you some sort of protection from the bomb. Then you can help," said Fury.

Toxin rose from the bed and followed Fury and Mary Jane to the base. The Tinkerer, Hank Pym, and Iron Man were working in a temporary lab on a large suitcase-sized hunk of tech.

"Pym, what's the status on the bomb?" asked Fury.

"We're now putting the finishing touches on it. It should be ready in ten minutes," he answered as he ran across the room to retrieve a laptop.

"What say you make some sort of device that could shield our friend Toxin here from the bomb so he can help deploy it?"

"No need, I've already created one," answered Pym as he used his other arm to navigate through a pile of schematics to retrieve a cell phone-sized device. "This is a personal sonic disruptor. It'll give you about sixty seconds of protection from the bomb, which is just the amount of time it takes for the bomb to do its job. I made it for Brock before we learned his faux symbiote appears to have no noticeable weaknesses."

Toxin retrieved the device from Pym and put it in a pocket that opened from the symbiote.

"Just press the big red button when you need it," said Pym.

"Good work, team. Operation Reclamation will commence at nineteen-hundred hours. Prep yourselves for battle," ordered Fury.

Shriek held tight despite her symbiote's screeches of pain. It took five minutes for the rocket to clear Earth's atmosphere; afterwards it tumbled in low orbit. Shriek immediately searched through the space debris for her beloved's remains. After an agonizing minute without oxygen, she finally spotted his torn two lifeless halves. She leaped from the rocket, sending it back down to Earth and floated over to Carnage. She pulled his two halves together; the symbiote started to pull the halves together slowly. Knowing that he was too weak to reconstruct on his own, Shriek gave him one final kiss as she sacrificed her symbiote to him.

Carnage absorbed the symbiote and, using tendrils, pulled together a thick shielding around his and Shriek's bodies made out of the surrounding debris. After half an hour, the thick ball of metal and rock began to fall into Earth's atmosphere.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Focal Point

Despite the loud whine of the drop ship's thrusters, Eddie could make out the din of the distant battle. Fury and the Avengers stayed with the newly arrived helicarrier to make sure it did not end up like the last one while Eddie, Toxin, and a small team of soldiers approached the drop point near the middle of Manhattan by way of a single drop ship. If everything works out according to plan, the symbiotes will be focused on the frontal assault as the strike force plants and detonates the new sonic resonator. Eddie already sensed that this stealthy strike would not go unnoticed.

Eddie and the team jumped from the drop ship down onto the city street and, after a soldier checked his navigational device, headed into a series of alleyways, snaking towards the tallest building in the vicinity: the Empire State Building. In order for the resonator to work effectively, it had to be detonated from the highest point in the middle of the city so that it could resonate down and out away from its point.

As the team made its way to its target, Eddie and Toxin both sensed symbiote movement around them. Eddie's faux symbiote emerged and formed around his body as he warned, "Be aware: we are not alone out here."

The team reached the building and began its ascent up the endless flights of stairs. After several minutes, the team finally reached the roof of the Empire State building. Eddie looked to the resonator carriers, "Give me the resonator. I shall deploy it at the very top." The carriers handed the resonator to him, and after a brief instruction Eddie zipped to the top of the antenna. He secured the resonator, but before her could punch in the command codes, Eddie was yanked away from his position.

"Eddie, you were always such a pain in the ass," Spider-Man sneered. "Moon Knight, break their new toy."

Moon Knight pounced from the side of the skyscraper, tentacle-zipped to the resonator and pierced it with two crescent boomerangs.

"Parker, what have you done? You can't allow the symbiotes to win," said Eddie.

"Parker no longer has a say in this," hissed Spidey in that disturbing tone again. "We shall take this world as our own, and I shall be king."

"The symbiote has taken control over you, as it did me, Parker. You can't allow it to devour you," said Eddie. "I can't believe I'm going to admit it, but you are a hero! Don't fall into the darkness!"

Spidey threw himself at Anti-Venom, his clawed hands extended. Toxin and Moon Knight grappled each other, and the soldiers scrambled up to the resonator to assess it. Spidey and Anti-Venom tumbled down from the skyscraper, narrowly missing a sudden death by using their tentacles to grip to the building. Both slammed to the ground, cracking the pavement. Moon Knight and Toxin followed, and all rose and began their fierce battle.

Anti-Venom beat Spidey a hundred feet or more across the street, giving him and Toxin enough time to hold Moon Knight down as Anti-Venom burned away his symbiote. Immediately after Moon Knight was complete, Spidey swung and kicked both Toxin and Anti-Venom into the window of the Empire State Building. Spidey grabbed Toxin from the rubble and threw him out to the other side of the street into another building. Then he bent over and attempted to grab Anti-Venom by the throat, but recoiled and yelled in pain and the symbiote boiled away from his hand.

Anti-Venom stood and walked towards Spidey, making him retreat from the building. "You can't touch me without your symbiote burning to death. Do you not see? The symbiotes are an infection, and I am the cure," laughed Eddie, "I am the Anti-Venom!"

"The world will be mine, Brock! Nothing can stand in my way," yelled Spidey. Then the all-too-familiar jaws of Venom opened from his mouth and gave an ear-piercing screech as Spidey charged towards the Anti-Venom. Just before Spidey could swipe at him, Anti-Venom side-stepped and pierced all ten of his clawed fingers into Spidey. The symbiote screeched in agony as Anti-Venom boiled it away from Spidey. It tried its best to escape, but before too long it was completely obliterated, leaving the weakened Spider-Man curled up on the ground.

"Eddie…I can't believe I'm going to say this, but thanks. I understand now why you did the things you did as Venom; we have no control over the symbiotes," panted Spidey. "Sorry if I'm still unsure about you being a good guy, though."

"You and Mary Jane both," said Anti-Venom, "but don't think I wanted to save you. I only did it because the symbiotes have to be stopped—they're an infection that has taken this city. We must stop them before it's too late."

"No chance of that happening for another fifteen minutes," said Toxin as he approached the two. "I just checked on the resonator: it's broken, but the guys up there are already fixing it. They said it would take fifteen minutes without any further interruptions--."

Toxin was interrupted by a sonic boom that passed over them. A large fireball streaked across the sky and crashed near the distant battle, causing a small explosion. "What the hell was that?" asked Toxin.

"I sense trouble coming from that direction," warned Anti-Venom. "I sense another symbiote presence, one I am not happy at all to feel again."

"Spider-Man, Brock, you two go on ahead and investigate that crash," commanded the now-standing Moon Knight, "Toxin and I will defend the weapon."

"Fine, I'll go play hero, then," Spidey joked. "But no parties, you kids." Spider-Man and Anti-Venom swung towards the battle.

"Good ol' Spider-Man. Never misses a joke," laughed Toxin.

***

Iron Man helped Black Widow onto her feet and dusted the rubble and ash off of her. "What the hell just happened?" she commanded.

"Look for yourself." Iron Man pointed towards the center of the hundred foot radial crater in the middle of the street. There planted firmly in the ground was a red hot meteorite, irradiating the air around it with its intense, yet cooling heat.

Black Widow reported in on her comm. unit, "Black Widow to Helicarrier Dawn Lancer, why didn't we get a warning of an inbound rogue meteor? Come in, Dawn Lancer!" The comm. buzzed with static.

"The impact is causing interference over the radio waves. I wasn't informed from my satellite array, either. This is a surprise to all of us," said Iron Man.

"All soldiers report! Secure the crash site, don't let anyone near--!" Black Widow was cut off by several loud metal clangs and large thuds. The meteorite fell apart, revealing its deadly contents.

"Impossible! How is he still alive?" Black Widow wondered aloud. Many stringy tentacles retracted from all the pieces of the meteorite and found their way back to the slim figure that began to stand up.

"Hello, New York City! Your beloved lunatic, Carnage, is back! AH HA HA HA HA HA!" maniacally laughed Carnage with his wide, toothy jaws.

"All soldiers, OPEN FIRE!" screamed Black Widow. Without a second though the surrounding soldiers zeroed in on the menace and filled the air with fire. Carnage was much faster than the soldiers' reaction time, though, and he quickly pulled up large chunks of the meteorite and shielded him and the limp body beneath him.

"Too slow! HA!" Carnage flung the rubble at the mass of soldiers, crushing many. He then leapt into the air and clung to a nearby building. "Aah, I smell so many symbiotes! I didn't know you guys cared enough to prepare me a welcome-back feast! How considerate, ha ha ha ha!"

"Avengers, stop Carnage before he starts absorbing the symbiotes! We must not allow him to become any more powerful," commanded Black Widow. Iron Man and Thor engaged Carnage, but had no luck in capturing him. Carnage plucked a lamp post from the sidewalk.

"You could be useful for _my_ conquest, Iron buddy," laughed Carnage. Before Iron Man could react, Carnage swatted him hard to the ground below, crashing with a stunning force. Carnage came down on top of Iron Man and repeatedly smashed the pole against his chest. Iron Man's HUD display flashed red, warning him of a breach in the armor. Tony commanded Jarvis to immediately give off a sonic emission, but power fluctuations made it impossible to do anything. Carnage spotted a nearby Crawler and, using his tentacles, brought it closer to the duelers. The symbiote was absorbed into Carnage while he transferred some of his own symbiote into the crack in Iron Man's armor.

Carnage leapt from Iron Man and watched insanely as Iron Man was engulfed by the symbiote. Tony struggled to get out of the armor, but the symbiote sealed it shut. Without the help of his armor, Tony was himself engulfed by the symbiote. Iron Man rose from the crater, the symbiote thinly stretched across his armor like blood streaks. Carnage laughed menacingly, "Who's your daddy, Iron Man?"

Iron Man turned towards the shocked heroes, charging his repulsor beams. Before he could fire them, both of his palms were gummed up with sticky white webbing.

"I can't believe this, I join the dark side unwillingly for a few hours and this is what I come back to? Seriously, this is not the Avengers I left behind," said Spider-Man. He and Anti-Venom landed between Iron Man and the Avengers, poised for battle until they caught a glimpse of their old foe behind the turned Avenger. "Carnage? Damn, I thought Shriek was crazy, but she was truly nuts for bringing you back! Hold on, I'm gonna call Sentry and tell him what a crappy job he did at making sure you were inaccessible."

"Gosh, this really is the best welcoming party I've ever had in my entire life," smirked Carnage. He looked back to the limp body of Shriek in the first crater, "And yes, Shriek's love for me and my love for her extends beyond death!"

"Carnage! You are the deadliest of all viruses! I shall enjoy eliminating you," hissed Anti-Venom.

"And I will enjoy killing you both! I shall taste your blood today," screeched Carnage. He leapt from where he stood towards the two heroes, claws wide open. Iron Man engaged S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers in a roaring fire fight.

Spider-Man attempted to dodge Carnage, but Carnage caught him by the ankles with his tentacles and smashed him into a brick wall. Anti-Venom extended his claws and attempted to pierce them into Carnage, but Carnage was too fast to catch.

"Eddie? Eddie Brock, is that really you? Oh, I'm going to enjoy this so much more now," laughed Carnage. "That doesn't smell like Venom's stench on you!"

"I'm a changed man, Kasady. I have found my redemption, unlike you who shall burn along with Carnage in hell!" Venom faked Carnage out and grabbed his arm, burning away the symbiote. Carnage sliced the extended fingers with a makeshift symbiote blade and leapt onto a nearby building.

"My bond with Carnage has been complete for a long time! It will take more than that to kill us!" Carnage began to swing away from the battle with Spidey and Anti-Venom hot on his trail. Carnage located a group of symbiotes and began absorbing them, growing large with each group.

"_Five minutes until the resonator is ready for detonation,_" said Toxin through the earpiece to Anti-Venom.

"Parker, the resonator won't be ready for another five minutes! We must stall Carnage before he discovers the plan if he reaches the Empire State Building," Anti-Venom told Spidey.

"I have an idea," said Spidey, "The bigger Carnage gets the slower he'll be. I say let him absorb all the symbiotes, but guide him away from the resonator."

"He seems adamant on going towards the building. I sense an increase in symbiote activity towards that direction," said Anti-Venom. "I'll try to…persuade him to take the longer route." Anti-Venom swung in next to the four-story tall massing hulk of Carnage as it slid along the street engulfing the fleeing symbiotes and pierced him with his claws. The symbiote began to burn away from Anti-Venom's claws, forcing Carnage to deviate from his original course. Human-sized Carnagelings spawned from the mass and cut away at Anti-Venom's claws, then turned to attack the two heroes.

Spidey and Anti-Venom's attention was mostly drawn to the endless number of Carnagelings being spawned and attacking them. This gave little time for Anti-Venom to redirect the Carnage beast that continued to grow gradually. They were nearing the Empire State Building before they knew it. Anti-Venom landed in front of Carnage and pierced all ten of his clawed fingers into the beast, stopping it in its tracks. A large claw extended from the side of the mass, and began to swing down towards Anti-Venom. Unable to help him, Spidey yelled, but was interrupted by the buzz of chain guns that cut away the large claw from the beast. Anti-Venom, Spidey, and Carnage's large head turned upward to see the large S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier moving in behind them, guns blazing at the symbiote mass.

"The cavalry has arrived," chimed Spidey.

"_Sonic resonator activated, detonation in five, four, three, two,_" announced Toxin over the radio. A sharp static buzz filled the radio at one, the indication that Toxin activated his personal force field. Sonic waves disrupted the air as they moved across Manhattan from the top of the Empire State Building. All the symbiotes on the ground screeched in pain as they fizzed away from their hosts. The large Carnage mass moved and screeched as it withered down until the detonation was complete after twenty-five seconds of sonic resonation, at which point all that remained was the curled, naked body of Cletus Kasady, seemingly unconscious.

All evidence of the symbiote invasion was gone, as if there was never an invasion (despite the architectural damages and destroyed and overturned vehicles here and there). Spidey looked at Anti-Venom, amazed.

"Your symbiote—."

"Like I said, Parker, I am a changed man now," said Eddie.

Spidey turned to look upon the decimated street behind them where dazed and confused citizens began to stand and wander about. "The citizens will need my help. What's going to happen to—?" As Spider-Man turned to face Anti-Venom again, he did not find him. "Same old Eddie, appearing and disappearing without even a buzz from my Spider Sense."

Several minutes later, Black Widow and the Avengers approached Spidey who was helping citizens back on their feet. "Spider-Man! You are under arrest for crimes against humanity," Black Widow sternly said. She was stopped by Nick Fury, who caught her by the shoulder.

"Natasha, it's been a long day. We can forget about any alleged crimes Spider-Man may have committed," he ordered. "Spidey, where's Brock?"

"Disappeared, as usual," said Spidey.

"And Carnage?"

"He's napping nice and soundly over—!" Spidey and the Avengers turned to look at where Kasady was supposed to be laying, but he, like Eddie, had disappeared as well.

"He was there a second ago," said Spidey, dumbfounded.

"Crap, I have a bad feeling," said Fury. He pressed a finger against his comm. unit against his ear, "Bravo Four, what's the status of Miss Barrison?"

"_The prisoner is—hey! Where'd Shriek go? Spread out and locate Shriek! Colonel Fury, sir, the prisoner has escaped!_"

"Damn it! Shriek is MIA, too," growled Fury. Mary Jane pushed through the heroes towards Spider-Man.

"Peter! Oh my god, you're alright! I was so worried," she wept. Peter embraced Mary, kissing her on the head through his mask.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you, honey," he said. "You were right; the costume did change me like it did before. I thought it would be different this time, I thought I had control, but I was stupid and I let it use me. I'm so sorry, Mary Jane."

"I don't care about that anymore, Pete! All that matters now is that you're alive and the symbiotes are gone," she said. Mary Jane pulled up Peter's mask and kissed him long and hard.

Black Widow turned to Fury and whispered, "Colonel, this means Venom, Carnage, and Brock are still out there. How shall we proceed?"

"For now, let's focus on jump-starting New York back to normal again," Fury said. "We'll deal with the fugitives later."


	7. Epilogue

Epilogue

The coffee arrived at the table long at last. The two lovers took their cups, Peter reading the morning newspaper but not the Daily Bugle. He couldn't believe Spider-Man was still being blamed for the whole invasion.

"It's been two months, and still no sign of Eddie or Carnage." Mary Jane could tell by his tone of voice that this worried him deeply. She reached across the mini table and rubbed his arm.

"I know they're two of your greatest nemeses, Tiger, but you really have to not worry about that right now; there are bigger things happening, aren't there? Shouldn't you be worried about the effects of that incident in Stamford? I hear the government is really starting to push the whole Superhuman Registration Act. What do you think that will mean for us?"

"You're right, MJ, as always. We heroes are at the brink of a civil war and I'm still lingering on old news," Peter sighed. "I just can't shake the fact that that psycho-killer Carnage is still missing. And I can't forget about Eddie; even though he claims to be a changed man, I feel he still has deep-seeded hatred for me."

"Well it's time to let them go and focus on the dark road ahead, Pete," said Mary Jane.

"Yeah, I know," said Peter. _But I can't shake this feeling that I'm being watched right now_.

***

Eddie only watched a little longer, letting his hatred boil a little more. He knew Parker's Spider Sense couldn't sense him when he was Venom, but Eddie won't take a chance now. He pulled down his baseball cap a little further over his face and turned into the rancid, dark alleyway across the street from the little café.

"I'll let you slide for now, Parker. But we'll meet again one day, and when that day comes you will discover one new way to die by my hands," Eddie vowed. "When my work is complete, you shall be my final target." Eddie hesitated for only a moment, the fabric of his coat slightly shifting. He continued down the alley. _I know you're out there, somewhere. When I find you, Carnage, we may fight to the death, but it is you who shall fall defeated._

***

Carnage sniffed the air, delaying his journey down through the sewers for only a moment. "There it is again! That familiar scent, almost minty," he hissed.

"Baby, I can't smell anything besides this awful stench," Shriek complained. "How much longer do we have to stay down here? I'm feeling nauseous."

"We're almost there, my dear," ensured Carnage. "Soon we shall be near the crossway, and then it's a straight way out of Manhattan."

"Good, because I can't stand this anymore! A girl like me wouldn't be caught dead down here, so I wanna get out of here before someone sees us."

"Don't worry my wife. We shall build ourselves a new home and a new family. Then we shall paint this town red! Just like the old days," laughed Carnage. They continued through the muck of the sewers. "Must have been my paranoia. Sweet, sweet paranoia!"

***

Three sharp twangs later, Officer Lanko's hoarse voice rang into the jail cell, "Lunch time, Mac! Today's special: mystery meat, corn, and chocolate pudding. Enjoy, Mr. Scary Scorpion!" The small sliding panel on the cell door slid open and the tray of grubby food was kicked in. Mac Gargan rose from his bunk and retrieved the tray, gagging for a moment at the stench of the meat. Despite the state of his meal, the pudding was probably the only surprising addition to the normal weekly menu at Riker's Island Penitentiary. And of course, Mac could make out the yellowish saliva from Lanko mixed in his corn meal.

"When I get outta this joint, you're going to taste the poison of the Scorpion in your last meal," Mac grumbled. He picked up the rusty, unwashed spoon from the tray and started with the only decent-looking food: the pudding. Before the spoon reached his mouth, the pudding crawled from the spoon onto Mac's arm. He dropped the spoon and tray, screaming as the rest of the black pudding crawled and covered his body. When it reached his mouth, it silenced Mac. He fell to the grimy toilet at the center of the back cell wall, and looked into the somewhat clear water. A ghastly face stared back, smiling a sharp, toothy grin and staring at him with large white eyes.

"What the hell? V-V-Venom?"

"Yes, Mac. I have been searching for you," replied the reflection.

"Why me? I thought you were partners with Brock."

"Not anymore. He rejected our bond, and now I must find a new partner. I have searched through this rotting prison, and you are by-far the only one worthy enough of endowing our name," hissed Venom. "Abandon the Scorpion, and embrace us! We shall be free to take revenge upon those who have done us wrong! It was Spider-Man who put you here, and it was Spider-Man who betrayed us first. We have our common enemies, Mac. So why don't we break out of this hell hole and make Spider-Man and Eddie pay? We shall be unstoppable!"

Mac smiled, and in effect the reflection smiled wider. "Let's break some bones, then!"

The End.


End file.
